The Brave Babes Battle Bus - Springing Into Spring Like Super Spingy Springs On A Springy Day!

[Mouseface]

Hello everyone, I'm Mouse :)

Welcome to the Bus, Gerald. Of course it's an imaginary Bus, and we're all aware of that, but we've been on this Bus for a bloomin' long time now so this place kinda feels like home.

See, the thing is, we're a mix of drinkers, non drinkers, total abstainers, and also posters that are or have been, somewhere in between, around the block and back again!

There are no hard and fast rules here, just No judging, No bitching about others and most certainly No expectations of YOURSELF.

No-one can say what will or will not happen whilst you're posting here. You just have to take the ride, One Day At A Time.

There are two sayings that we have painted down either side of the Bus :-

1. • The Vulnerable Need Our Support, Not Our Judgement
2. • Alcohol Fosters Inertia

You've started to read this thread for a reason, and you'll either carry on and maybe Name Change (or not) and post, walk away, or realise that this is all about YOU, cry for a bit, and then come and take a seat :)

For those who would like a bit of our almost 4 year history, have a read of THIS TRULY INSPIRING THREAD

- AND THIS IS OUR PREVIOUS THREAD TO THIS ONE

We're not a quiche or a clicky group, four years is a long time and longer when you're pissed for some of it, so whilst the threads may look 'clicky', I can promise you, it's just that we all 'know' one another because we've been here for a bit but you'll soon get to know us all, who loves what (CHEEEEEEEESE), but we were all 'new posters' at one time, weren't we? :)

Hello.

I've looked at this thread a lot. My drinking is a problem, I'm not sure what to do about it to be honest. I've tried AA, I asked my GP for help after a blood test came back with worrying results. They weren't very helpful so I looked up my DAAT team (don't think they are called that now). I didn't go because

I'm 37, I can do periods of abstinence. In fact, I'm thinking of stopping tomorrow until mid July. I just dread it, I get terrible night sweats and can't sleep at all for the first few days.

Anyway, enough of my twaddle. Is it ok to join in?

Oh course :)

Welcome, you won't see much of me for a little while but I'll be reading. x

Still here in sidecar x

Brightly welcome to the bus. Have you had any advice about the safest way to stop? The night sweats and sleep problems will be part of the withdrawal but should only last a few days.

Brightly: If you feel really bad you should get some short-term medication from the doctor, but if you can stick it out the worst will pass in a few days. Can you take a little time off work and pamper yourself a bit? I had horrible headaches for about a week, and insomnia, but it passed. I used chocolate, all kinds of unusual juices and drinks, and then more chocolate...

Vitamin B is recommended and, yes, lots of sugary snacks.

Well, I've weighed in today after my first week back on diet and I've lost 4lb, yay. Most of it will be water but still, spurs me on

No alcohol, nibbles or any empty other calories for me today. Just good old nourishing food. I had half a tin of tuna for lunch on Saturday and a large mixed salad. It tasted delicious and was less calories than a packet of Walkers crisps

Anyone else not going to drink today? Just today.

I'll join you in not drinking today faire. I had a bottle of wine over the weekend, nothing during the week. whilst I'm pleased it was no more than that, I certainly felt the effects of it. I suppose my tolerance has gone down, it tasted pretty foul as well!

Hello babes it's a lovely sunny morning here - a great start to a sober week!

ma I'm sorry to hear about your job. It will be such a shock, not just the job but also the team, your wonderful boss just keep plodding on, okay?

Welcome brightly and well done for being brave and posting

Yes Faire, I am not going to drink today.

Just for today I will not drink.

Thank you for the welcome x

I know I can get medication to help but I'm used to it now. It will pass in a few days, it's just horrible to begin with. It's bloody stupid, I feel so much better when I don't drink........but I can't get my head around being tee total.

I am not trying to be teetotal but am not drinking today.

Vitamin B is indeed a very good addition while you are detoxing: either a B-complex, or even just B1 (Thiamine).

Nuff 4lb is brilliant

Brightly welcome keep going Babe you'll get there x

Beaches glad to hear those boys had fun You are a star and doing really well. I'm on Day 1 again we're moving tomorrow they had a cancellation so I took it rather than waiting another day so it's going to be all go !!! Alot of stuff going into a much smaller space, should be interesting

Love to all of you lovely Brave Babes

Spanna great news on the flat! you will have a crazy few days now but how brilliant to be setting everything up knowing there are no more imminent moves ahead. I hope it soon feels like home babe. On the WW front, don't beat yourself up, I have had countless times lately when I haven't really got into it but this time, for some reason, I feel more focused. Sometimes it is just difficult to get into the right frame of mind. It will come back though, I'll bet. For now, wishing you all the helpful moving fairies and fairies who can squeeze lots of stuff into small spaces

Faire 4lbs is great and very motivating, water or not! I will join you for an af evening tonight too.

Glad you are still with us Im

Big wave to Joey hope things are good with you

Hi to silver, mouse and Anne and all other brave babes who may be loitering with intent Welcome to Brightly too.

I hope its ok to jump in, I seem to have reached rock bottom (again) and need to make some serious changes in my life.

I have always had a terrible relationship with alcohol, I used it to make myself feel better about myself from the age of 13. I have always drunk to excess. It occurs to me most of my friends and family probably don't really know what I am like sober as if there is a social situation then there is Tickle with a drink.

This weekend I got drunk while away with some friends and ended up kissing another man. Not because I wanted to or because that's me, but because he gave me some attention and I was (of course) so pissed I didn't have any self control at all. ( well I guess I had some, we could have had sex but then I would have killed myself as dh would leave me.

I told my DH, who is the most amazing man. We talked it through and he ended up helping me to understand why I did it and feel better?! I can't do this to him anymore. He loves me, he adores me. But he hates drunk me. Sober we are perfect but when I am drunk its so dangerous. If I am in a bad place I will be deliberately self destructive..

So, I need to stop. I have to stop. I don't know how to stop alcohol has always been such a huge part of my life, do I have to give it all up?

Sorry for the long post. I used to post on the bus years ago under a namechange but never got very far. I need some support now as I am adament I am doing this, one thing I can't risk losing is my amazing DH.

I have just read the whole thread and just wanted to say I am so so sorry to hear about your Goddaughter Mouse. How utterly devastating x

Welcome tickle and well done for making the first step in posting here. You will get loads of advice and support.

You say that you used alcohol to feel better about yourself from the age of 13? Is there a particular reason you had negative feelings at that age? Is this something you need to explore, either on your own or even through counselling?

babes I'm still here. "Loitering with intent" loved that! On my phone so can't nc. Day 4 done. All good. Will try and check in more often but post holiday blues and trying to get back reluctantly into real life are making me very sloth like.
Soc

Hi alias and thanks for the welcome :)
I was a bit fucked up when I was in my teens, didn't have the happiest time at home. Am so happy now, I have an amazing husband and kids.
DH thinks its because I don't believe I deserve any of it, which is of course exacerbated by getting drunk and doing hateful things.
I end up hating myself even more.

I have to live with what I have done, but I have to use this to stop repeating the same stupid self destructuve behaviours before I lose everything.

Hi tickle and welcome. So what are your plans for tonight? Do you have any alternative drink to hand - either tea or coffee or nice cold drinks? I found it was really difficult to stop doing something so habitual as having a drink in my hand, but I found it easier if I was replacing it with something else. I also found it easier if my hands and my mind were occupied - so knitting, sudoko, online jigsaws..... anything x

Thanks Venus i am so shocked by what I did that for the first time I don't even want a glass of wine. I also still feel hungover so am ok tonight.

I think I am just going to have to take each day as it comes and fight that 5oclock urge to down a bottle or two.

Hello tickle and welcome. Just a thought but since I stopped drinking I have wondered whether the thing that startedw drinking was shit stuff in childhood and early teenage years, together with a definite inherited predisposition towards alcohol abuse but that the thing that kept me drinking was habit. I carried on drinking stupidly for years even once I was actually rather happy. My drinking made me do all sorts of stupid things which made me unhappy but actually once I stopped drinking I realised that the drinking itself was what was making me unhappy. Obviously the reasons everybody drinks are very personal but if my experience is anything to go by it is just possible that you will discover that that if you can stop drinking just for a month or two you will realise it doesn't have as much of a hold over you as you thought it had. Anyway i wish you all the luck in the world and you will see from this thread that it is possible to turn things around.

Thanks Prime I think you're spot on actually, I have been in the habit of doing it for years when happy, sad, celebrating or just to block out the day.

I am (possibly somewhat stupidly) hoping I can teach myself to drink sensibly but for now I am off it.

I know I can drink at home with dh if I wany but going out is going to stop, the risks I take and the decisions I make are so bad.

This thread is very inspiring :)

I like that I have gone from giving up to just giving up going out. Bloody ridiculous :(

Hi babes and welcome Tickle. I relate to lots of what you have written, the cycle of drinking and regretting, then the guilt. Your last post was so true too, how we begin with absolutes then start reducing the absolutes to mostly's and maybe's. That's the saggy titted WW, she is in my ear tonight. I have done a whole week now and the WW (my mind) is saying 'you see, there is nothing to be concerned about - you can stop whenever.....in fact, you deserve a reward....(wine, obviously)' I almost believe it, I want to believe it actually but I have set a goal and I want to do that too. Upshot is I have eaten too much but avoided drinking for tonight. Phew.

A wise Why once shared "no one regretted NOT drinking the next morning" which is a great thing to hold onto. How are you Why? I hope some good things are happening for you. X

Baby hope you are not still in a yoga knot honey

Soc well done on day 4, that is brilliant. Hope the holiday blues disappear soon.

Prime I thought that was a great post and really insightful. It is good to hear that you are happier for not drinking.

Waves to venus, joey, Spanna, faire and im.

Thinking of you too Ma

Hi all, am a regular(lurker) on this thread, really hoping to crack this and stay dry for a while until it atleast feels normal, I wanted to get some of the books people have mentioned, like the Alan carr one but when I went in local library couldn't find anything asked lady at the desk and she found Alan Carrs lifestory, I said no not that one, then she looked on the computer at what she could find (Alan carrs how to stop smoking came up and obviously at this point I should have said its the Alan Carr how to stop drinking I want to read, but I couldn't. How could I ask for that when people might hear?lol so I just wondered if anyone had anything to sell me? If you private msg me how much and what I could pay by paypal, I really need something good to read to get me on track!